Jason Katims Talks Downsizing on About a Boy, Promises More Parenthood Crossovers

Sunday

Jan 19, 2014 at 12:01 AMJan 19, 2014 at 3:52 PM

Executive producer Jason Katims is downsizing on his new show in more ways than one.After working on two hour-long dramas with large ensembles Friday Night Lights boasted 10 series regulars and Parenthood currently has 15 Katims' new show, ...

TV Guide

Executive producer Jason Katims is downsizing on his new show in more ways than one.

After working on two hour-long dramas with large ensembles - Friday Night Lights boasted 10 series regulars and Parenthood currently has 15 - Katims' new show, About a Boy, is a half-hour comedy with just four stars. "I've always wanted to do a comedy. I've always wanted to do a half hour. What's exciting about the form is that you have to tell these stories in such a streamlined way and it's been really great," Katims told reporters Sunday at NBC's Television Critics Association winter previews. "This is a very small ensemble and you get to focus on telling one story. ... That's really very different from what I've been doing."

However, like FNL and Parenthood, About a Boy is an adaptation of the movie of the same name, which is in turn an adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel. In the TV version, David Walton (New Girl) steps into the Hugh Grant role as an immature 30-something hit songwriter named Will whose life is turned upside down when an...